Improvement in straw and grain separators



A. B. DAVIS. I

I Straw and Grain Separator.-

No. 37,154. Patented Dec. 16, 1862.

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N4 PETLRS. Pnom-Lium ;rl lwrv Washinglon, DIG) UNITED STATES PATENTEErcE.

IMPROVEMENT IN STRAW AND GRAIN SEPARATCPLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37, 154, dated December16, 1862.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS B. DAVIS, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,have invented a new and Improved Straw and Grain Separator forThreshing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists, first, in separating the straw from the grain inthrashin g-machines by means of a series of rocking rakes arranged inrespect to and operating in unison with each other, substantially asdescribed hereinafter; secondly, in imparting the desired motion to thesaid rocking rakes by means of reversed racks arranged on areciprocating frame in respect to pinions on the shafts of the saidrakes, substantially as set forth hereinafter.

in order to enable others skilled in the art to make and usemyinvention, I will now proceed to describeits construction andoperation.

On reference-to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, Figure 1 is a side view showing the exterior of athrashing-machine with my improved straw and grain separator; Fig. 2, alongitudinal section, and Fig. 3 an end view looking toward the rear ofthe machine.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The frame-work of the machine consists of two longitudinal beams, A A,to each of which are secured the vertical postsB B and B and a diagonalpost, 13 the opposite sides of the frame being secured to each other bysuitable transverse pieces.

At the front end of the machine, and to the frame, is secured theplatform 0, on which the grain is deposited, and from which it is fed tothe spiked cylinder D. The spindle of the latter turns in suitable boxessecured to the frame, one end of the spindle being furnished with apulley, to which, and consequently to the cylinder, the necessary rotarymotion is imparted from a pulley on the driving-shaft E by means of abelt, or any suitable system of gearing may be used for the purpose.

Below the spiked cylinder D, and to the frame, is secured a spikedconcave, F, and to the rear edge of this concave is secured a plate, j,which overhangs the inclined rear end of the shaker-frame G. This framecon sists of a perforated platform with side flanges hung by links I toboards H H, which are secured to the inside of the vertical posts B, B,and B and which form a permanent portion of the frame.

Above the perforated platform is a detachable cover, M, which rests onthe upper edges of the boards H H, and below the platform and formingpart of the shaker-frame are the two inclined shoots, J and J, theriddle K, the sieves m and n, and the shoots L and L. Motion iscommunicated from a crank on the driving-shaft E to the shaker-framethrough the medium of a connectingrod, N.

P is the blower, which is too similar both in construction and operationto those of other thrashing-machines to need a minute description.

A series of shafts, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, are situated above theperforated platform of the shaker-frame, each shaft having its bearingsin the opposite boards H H of the frame, and being furnished at one end,which projects beyond the frame, with a pinion, (I. These shafts, withtheir curved teeth 2', 1 term rockin g rakes.

A horizontal frame, P, composed of the upper and lower bars, 19 and p,connected together, is arranged to slide in guides formed on thevertical posts B and B, a reciprocating motion being imparted to thisframe from a crank on the shaft B through the medium of aconnecting-rod, T, the shaft being driven (in the present instance) by abelt from a pulley on the driving-shaft.

The pinions d of the spindles 2, 4., and 6 gear into racks 00, securedto the under side of the upper bar, 1), of the reciprocating frame,

and the pinions of the spindles 1,3, and 5 gear into similar rackssecured to the upper side of the lower bar, 1), of the same frame as therack-frame reciprocates. Therefore, the curved teeth 45 of the shafts 1,3, and 5 will vibrate in one direction simultaneously with the vibrationof the arms of the spindles 2, 4., and 6 in the opposite direction.

Let us suppose the machine to be in operation and the curved teeth ofthe rocking rakes to be in the position in respect to each other shownin Fig. 2, the teeth being in the act of vibrating in the directionpointed out by their respective arrows.

A mass of the stalks of grain with the husks of the kernelsdisintegrated by the combined action of the spiked cylinder D and thespiked concave F, has passed over the plate f onto the front end of theperforated platform, and has been seized and raised above the saidplatform by the curved teeth i of the first shaft, 1, prior to thelatter reacting the position illustrated in Fig. 2.

The limit of the movement of the teeth of the rocking shaft 1 in thedirection of the arrow is shown by dotted lines, dotted lines alsoillustrating the limit of the downward movement of teeth i of theadjacent rockshaft 2. I

The mass of stalks previously seized by the teeth of the shaft 1 musttherefore be elevated with these teeth, and would descend when thelatterbegin to recede and vibrate in a direction contrary to thatpointed out by the arrow but for the teeth of the shaft 2, which intheir movement to the position shown by dotted lines catch thedescending stalks, move them toward the rear of the machine, and bringthem within the range of the vibrating-teeth of the shaft 3. when thelatter are in the position shown by dotted lines.

In other words, the mass of stalks is seized in the first instance bythe teeth of the first rocking rake, tossed up by the latter, caught bythe teeth of the second rocking rake, tossed up by these teeth, moved toa point within the range of the teeth of the third rocking rake, and soon, until the stalks, after this mostthorongh agitation, are dischargedat the rear of the machine, leaving behind them the kernels and chaffwhich pass through. the perforations of the platform of the shaker frameonto the inclined shoots J and J, thence onto the riddle K, where thechaff, by the action of the blower, is discharged at the rear of themachine, the grain finally falling onto the sieves,and thence into anysuitable receptacle, as in other thrashing-machines.

The racks are so secured to the reciprocating frame as to be readilydetached and as readily readjusted;

On removing one of the racks and partially turning the shaft of one ofthe rocking rakes, and again applying the rack to the frame, the sweepof the teeth of the rake will be altered so that all the rakes can bereadily arranged to raise or toss the stalks to a height which may befound in practice to have the most satisfactory result.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1.Separating the straw from the grain in thrashing-machines by means of aseries of rocking rakes arranged iii-respect to and operating in unisonwith each other, substantially as set forth.

2. Imparting the desired motion to the said rocking rakes by means ofreversed racks arranged on a reciprocating frame in relation to pinionson the shafts of the said rakes, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

A. B. DAVIS.

Witnesses:

HENRY Howsnn, JOHN WHITE.

